Gonzaga can't overcome Drew Timme's foul trouble in NCAA Tournament loss to UConn
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Drew Timme battled foul trouble and Gonzaga's offense crumbled in the second half of an 82-54 loss to UConn in the Elite Eight on Saturday at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.
The fourth-seeded Huskies advance to the Final Four in Houston where they will play the winner of Sunday’s Elite Eight matchup between second-seeded Texas and fifth-seeded Miami.
Here are three takeaways from Gonzaga’s final game of the 2022-23 season:
TIMME GETS INTO FOUL TROUBLE, GONZAGA FALLS APART
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The Zags ran their offense through Timme against UCLA but didn’t have the chance to do so on Thursday when the All-American forward picked up his third and fourth fouls early in the second half.
With Timme on the bench to preserve his eligibility, UConn went on a 16-3 run that lasted just over three minutes. Timme was subbed back in around the 14-minute mark but only contributed one made free throw before the game was over.
He finished the night with 12 points on 5 of 14 shooting in 32 minutes.
“Look, we can say ‘what if’ right?” Timme said. “What if they didn’t call a foul? But the bottom line is they were the better team tonight. They made more shots. They got the 50/50 balls. Regardless of whether we want to say what-ifs, the refs didn’t control that game. They were the better team tonight.”
The Huskies’ defense clamped down on the Zags, who shot 33% from the field and 10% on 3-point attempts.
“UConn was just terrific tonight,” Gonzaga coach Mark Few said. “And we didn’t have any answers, especially when kind of everything really didn’t bounce our way. And we can’t absorb a game like that when our offense is as bad as it was tonight.”
GONZAGA’S BACKCOURT NO MATCH FOR HAWKINS
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Knocking down shots from beyond the 3-point arc has been a struggle for Gonzaga during the NCAA Tournament.
Saturday’s game was no exception as Gonzaga shot 2-for-20 from deep, including a 1-for-13 showing from its starting guards. That wasn’t enough for the Zags to hang with the Huskies, who were led by a 20-point outing from Jordan Hawkins.
The 6-foot-5 sophomore shot 6-for-10 from 3-point range, with four of his triples coming in the second half.
“I think their guards controlled the game tonight,” said Gonzaga guard Rasir Bolton. “Jordan Hawkins definitely had a big one. He’s a big-time shooter. We were trying to stay locked in and trail him on pin-downs, but he was getting loose. And in transition, they were running."
Hawkins had support from his backcourt running mate Andre Jackson Jr., who ended with eight points, 10 assists and nine rebounds.
“We’ve got a lot to prove,” Jackson said. “We still have a chip on our shoulder.”
TIMME SAYS THANK YOU
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Aside from ending Gonzaga’s season, the loss also concludes the collegiate career of an all-time great Zag.
The Elite Eight matchup will go down as Timme’s final game in a Bulldogs uniform, something he addressed during the postgame press conference.
“I’m just so thankful that the program and the place took me for who I was,” Timme said. “They didn’t ask me to be anybody but myself.”
When Timme was subbed out for the last time, he hugged head coach Mark Few and the rest of the team’s coaching staff.
“He’s a bigger-than-life character,” Few said of Timme. “Like he said, he was himself the whole time here. It was a blast to coach him. It was a hell of a good time walking out on the practice floor with him every time or hopping on a jet and I’m sure we’re going to have a lot of good times moving forward. It's been quite a ride. I hope everyone remembers him for the great competitor he was and just the awesome player that he was.”
Timme ends his career at Gonzaga as the program’s all-time leading scorer and has the most 20-point games in March Madness history.
